By Laudia Sawer
Tema, Nov. 22, GNA – Mr. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), has reiterated that the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651) imposed a duty on employers to take all practical steps to ensure the safety of workers.
He said the Labour Act also imposed an obligation on the employer to ensure that the worker was free from risk of personal injury or damage to his or her health during the worker’s employment or while lawfully on the employer’s premises.
Mr. Essienyi stated this in a speech read on his behalf at the GRIDCo 2023 corporate safety durbar to climax its annual safety awareness celebration with a call on workers to create a safe and healthy working environment.
The theme for the celebration was “A Safe and Healthy Working Environment is a Fundamental Principle and Right at Work.”
As part of the safety awareness celebration, management and staff embarked on a health walk, breast cancer screening and awareness creation, and an interdepartmental safety quiz competition, among others.
Mr. Essienyi said the Labour Act also reinforced the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 8.8), which seeks to put an obligation on employers to ensure a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right at work.
The SDG8.8 states that by 2030, employers must protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, particularly women, and those in precarious employment.
In view of these obligations, Mr. Essienyi said GRIDCo management would do its best to ensure a safe and healthy working environment by ensuring that regular inspections were carried out at all work locations and providing the needed tools, equipment, and training to meet the mandate stated under its core values.
He said management was also committed to providing the needed resources to implement all recommendations in the safety inspection and audit reports.
The CEO also tasked the Safety Management Team to conduct regular work area inspections to eliminate potential hazards, ensure that all staff were properly trained, and ensure that contractors complied with the provisions in their safety manual.
He encouraged staff to be responsible for their health, overall well-being, and safety by taking their medical check-ups seriously.
Mr. Essienyi revealed that the Safety Management Team recorded good safety performance between the third quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2023.
Mr. Bernard Gyan, the Director, Technical Services Department, said in a welcome address that the increased awareness of safety and work culture has led to a zero-harm year at GRIDCo.
Mr. Gyan said safe work was not just a slogan but rather a responsibility that ensured that workers returned home as whole as they reported to work.
Fraternal messages in support of safety at work were delivered by representatives of Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), CENIT Energy Limited, Sunon Asogli Ghana Limited, and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).
The durbar saw the awarding of certificates to 18 safety coordinators under the second phase of training in the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
For the Work Area Safety Committee (WASACO) award, the Systems Operation Department and Engineering Department, respectively, emerged as second and first winners under the non-operational category, while under the operational category, Tachieman, Pretea, and Tamale emerged as third, second, and first, respectively.
Mr. Blankson Paa Kwesi Joe was presented with the Fire Fighting Award; Mr. George Seidu Ayorna received the award for incident and accident reporting; and Mr. Patrick Addae Elioneah and Mr. Alexander Emmanuel Frimpong, respectively, received awards for Life Saving, and House Keeping.
GRIDCo also presented the Safety Collaboration Award to the Ghana National Fire Service for their support for the 15 years of the company’s existence.
GNA